A Touch of the Light Fantastic

Fibre optics are replacing old-style copper cable...

Fibre optics are getting everywhere these days - even under the floorboards at Hemel office. Proving the point are Colin Chapman (left) and David Thorn.

Strands of glass little thicker than a human hair are carrying impulses of light to provide a faster, neater, safer link between BP Oil's computers and the men and women who use them.

And this high technology replacement for the humble copper wire is helping to over­come a list of problems rang­ing from overcrowding behind the skirting boards at Hemel Hempstead to attacks by rats at Grangemouth and Llan­darcy refineries.

Inventor

The science of the 'light pipe' was first discovered more than 100 years ago when a curious inventor noticed that light could be transmitted from one end of a jet of water to the other. Fifteen years ago, coffee tables throughout Britain sprouted those strange 'mares tails' of thin optical fibres which seemed to carry a swaying mass of pin-pricks of light.

But take the more serious development of fibre optics to its conclusion, and it could revolutionise wiring systems both at work and in the home. The TV and telephone of the future could depend not on electrical impulses, but on tiny flashes of light travelling along thin and flexible strands of glass.

All that, says BP Oil's Hemel Hempstead-based manager of distributed com­puting, Bruce Moulder, remains in the future. For the present. BP is working in the forefront of optical fibre tech­nology to harness its many advantages to the day-to-day business of running the com­pany.

"In the simplest terms, fibre optics use a small piece of glass fibre to replace a rather

lariter piece of electrical wire." explained Bruce.

"The only thing that travels down the fibre is light, so there is no risk of electrical shock. no possibility of fire, and no chance of picking up inter­ference along the way."

It was sheer pressure on space that led to the first practical application for fibre optics within BP Oil. As more people moved into BP House in Hemel Hempstead, more telephones were needed, more power sockets, more links between computer terminals and. Hemel's two Univac mainframe computers.

All these extra wires and cables had to be fitted in somewhere – and the only place was in the already jam-packed ducting behind the skirting hoards.

Cunning

So far, only data travelling between computers and their terminals is being handled by fibre optics. But thanks to a cunning system called 'modem time multiplexing,' a single length of optical fibre can do the job of many individual copper wires. Meaning just one extra cable instead of dozens behind Hemel's over­crowded skirting.

"The multiplexor splits the light signals travelling down the fibre into different slots, one for each computer terminal," said Bruce Moulder.

"In theory, a single optical fibre could carry all of BP Oil's data transmissions at the same time — that's the sheer capacity of the system.

"Looked at another way,one strand of optical fibre about twice the thickness of a human hair could do the job of a one-inch-thick copper cable."

Hemel Hempstead already has seven main optical fibre 'trunk routes' running through the main building and the tower block, linking them with the new computer suite cur­rently in the final stages of construction. It means that Hemel's average daily trans­actions of up to £18-million - the very lifeblood of the company — can travel literally at the speed of light and with­out any risk of picking up interference from adjoining power lines. And just how real that problem of interference can be comes from the recent case where lightning was con­ducted down copper cables to cause damage to 11 of Hemel’s computer terminals.

A start has also been made on bringing fibre optics to BP House in Victoria, where once again computer users will have the advantages of receiv­ing a cleaner signal without the risk of picking up data-distorting 'noise' from adjoin­ing power cables.

"In general, fibre optics give people using computers a better chance of doing the job and providing a service on time." said David Thorn, who is project leader in Hemel's communications co-ordin­ation unit.

It is the intrinsic safety of optical fibres' use of light, rather than electricity, to transmit data that has led to their introduction at BP Oil's refineries. At a stroke, optical fibres take away one possi­bility of a stray spark causing fire in areas where potentially hazardous materials are pro­duced or stored.

Communications engineers such as Colin Chapman, George Karvounakis and Ian Perry have installed optical fibre systems which will link the refinery computers at Grangemouth and Llandarcy with terminals in the stores and workshops.

But on the way. their hi-tech communications system came up against some rather old-fashioned problemsr.

Bruce Moulder explained: "The PVC covering on cables tends to go 'gooey' if it is in prolonged contact with hydro­carbons, so refinery cables have traditionally been lined with lead and protected by steel mesh. On top of that, rats have a habit of chewing their way through PVC insulation, and termites can also nibble away at cables if the radius is such that they can get their teeth into them. We had to overcome all these problems when installing the new optical fibre systems."

Closed-circuit

Although fibre optics are already working for their living, the technology is still at a relative stage of infancy compared to what may lie just around the corner. So far, fibres have only been able to offer 'one way traffic' to light signals, but developments are in hand to produce fibres which can send and receive signals simultaneously. Video signals can also be transmitted through fibre optics — a possible application would he closed-circuit television security systems. And voice and music transmissions are also possible down these light-transmitting strands of glass.

The fibre optic has come a long way from the coffee-table lamp — and its development is far from finished yet.

 Colin Chapman demonstrates the concept of fibre optics.

Taken from BP Oil News - October 1982

 

Focom Ltd

During the early 1980’s BP Oil pioneered the adoption of fibre optic communications in its embryonic  networks.

The main drivers were for safety within the then refineries (Grangemouth and Llandarcy) – light rather than electricity in cables; the weight of cables in floors and ceiling; cable duct capacity – space available; and potential capacity of the cables via further multi-plexing.

The supplier of this new technology was Focom Ltd, who were based on the Hunslet Estate in Leeds. We dealt with a few people at Focom Ltd, including John Iles, Ian Elliott, Martin Farrell and Mike Cloak (Sales Manager).

I recall visiting Leeds a few times in my dealings with Focom. They even had a fibre drawing machine to actually make the cables there.

The first demonstration of fibre optic cabling in BP  House consisted of a single fibre cable running a computer terminal on the 13^th floor training suite from the Univac 1108 computer room on the 1^st floor. The first problem to solve was how to run the trial cable, the solution was to throw the cable out of a 13^th floor window, down to the roof above the 4^th floor (over the restaurant area) and then back through a window on the 1^st floor. Senior BP management were invited to the demo in the training suite, it worked and everyone marvelled at the use and potential application of this new method of communication.

Focom Ltd later became Pirelli Focom Ltd.

Added by David F Thorn Friday 27 August 2010

Message received 15 August 2020 from Mal O'Neil who worked for Focom Ltd

I recently came across your BP BlogSpot which is of interest to myself and friend John Russell as we both worked at Focom Systems, operating out of the Leeds factory. In the early 80's we spent a significant amount of time working on the BP Hemel site, Britannic House with its high speed lifts, and other sites including LLandarcy, Grangmouth and Sunbury. It was always a pleasure to visit BP as the people were friendly and helpful. At the Hemel site we built good relationships with the Comms Staff including Steve Tipton and those you mention, Colin Chapman , George Karvounakis, Ian Perry plus many others but sadly their names have faded from the memory over time. It was always a pleasure to spend time at BP Hemel and Britannic House as you had a free vend coffee machine on every floor and an excellent 10p lunch in the BP restaurant, novelties we didn't have much of in the industrial north! I think I made excuses to call in when passing just for the lunch!
 
You mention the Fibre Drawing machine we had at Focom allowing us to produce stepped and graded index fibre cable along with the fibre/data transmission equipment we designed and manufactured from our base in Leeds. In addition to the many multiplexers you  purchased I should imagine many kilometres of the cable found its way under the floors at BP. The Fibre Drawing machine was run by John Russell in-between his Field Engineering outings which at the time took us all over the UK installing this new Fibre Optic Technology. We certainly felt we were part of the new communications era and working at the forefront of Fibre Optic Transmission development with Focom Systems. Much water has now run under the bridge since those pioneering days and reading your articles gave us an enjoyable trip down memory lane as we both hold fond memories of our time at Focom, BP and its staff. Regards Malcolm O’Neil

Added by David F Thorn Sunday 16 August 2020

Hemel Lines Up to Welcome It's New Arrivals...

...biggest-ever spruce up campaign under way.

 The Hemel of today (1982), with the shape of BP House following that original railway line.

To some it is the 'serpent,' to others the `concertina', and to those in the know, its shapely lines owe their origins to a railway track laid in 1874.

But to more and more BP Oil people, it has become their daily place of work.

BP House, Hemel Hempstead, is the official address. Sir Robert McAlpine in 1963, the architects were asked to produce a building which would provide a gateway to the town centre, just as the old Hemel to Redbourn railway track had done before.

Their concrete-and-glass structure has done just that. Its tower block rises above the skyline, and its main building curves its way along the line of the old Midland Railway track spanning a river and a main road on the way.

Original

In the early days. Shell-Mcx and BP were one of the building's original tenants, establishing their Southern Computer Centre in Hemel as a sister to the similar complex at Wythenshawe, near Manchester.

Brand separation in the '70s gave BP Oil sole control of the Hemel computer centre and since then, the BP share of the building has gradually crept up to the point where BP I louse. Hemel Hempstead has become in the eyes of many a virtual 'parallel head office' to BP House, Victoria.

Since June this year, over 100 employees have made the move out of London and into the leafier surroundings of Hemel. The Field Office of Retail and Commercial marketers now reside in Hemel's tower block, as do Purchasing and — most recent of all — Financial Accounting Branch and Per­sonnel Records.

They have arrived to find Hemel in the midst of its biggest-ever 'spruce up' pro­gramme. The building and its furnishings arc, in the words of Estates man Ray Power, being "jolted into the '80s."

What this means is rather more than a new carpet here, a different desk there. For Hemel — as befits its com­puterised origins — is begin­ning to offer a glimpse of the office of the future.

Rather than sitting in diminutive individual offices, Hemel’s new arrivals are finding themselves sur­rounded by the restrained efficiency of an ultra-modern system of 'screen related work-stations.'

Privacy

Ray Power. the man charged with responsibility for the office furnishings, is quick to dispel any similarity between this and 'open plan' offices, where desks and tele­phones wcrc simply arran*ed in serried ranks with no divi­sion between. Hemel's new offices are based on fabric-covered screens which pro­vide privacy without claustro­phobia. and each desk has its own filing cabinets above and below the working level.

"We are trying to give people the environment within which they can work well —and happily," explained Ray.

"People who need to work closely with others arc grouped together, but we have arranged things so that virtu­ally everybody gets a _.good .iew out of the windows.'

The manufacturers of the new furniture in fact had to modify their designs slightly to suit liemel's needs. Where each screen adjoins a window, it is given a 'BP Wing' — a short panel at right angles to the main run which cuts off any disconcerting signs of movement from behind, but still gives a view over the Hertfordshire town and the countryside beyond.

It is a small detail appre­ciated by people such as David Wright. who moved from Knightsbridge to Hemel as sales assistant to National's Eastern Area Manager.

"Although we are all rela­tively close together, the screens do give you enough privacy — and that view out is splendid." said David.

"All round I think the office here is excellent, and just look at the carpet!"

Trepidation

Another newcomer, senior sales assistant Jean Dixon, who works in Commercial's Indirect department, admitted to a certain degree of trepida­tion when she heard she was to move from Central London to Hemel.

"But it's better than I thought," she said.

"It's a very nice building in a good shopping centre. The restaurant is fine — and it has a bar. On top of that, I can be at work in 35 minutes with­out struggling through traffic jams."

Masterminding the radical changes to the fabric of BP House in Hemel is Estates Services manager Trevor Jones. lie and his team of 10 colleagues are running the building from its basement stores to the top of the tower block. And they have more plans in store to bring a new look to the building which now houses more than 650 BP men and women.

"We are virtually going to gut it completely and start again, putting new cladding and windows on the outside to improve the energy efficiency of the building. and making more efficient use of the office space inside." he explained.

Biggest

The biggest single project under way at Hemel is related to the building's original use - - as a computer centre.

Architect Graham WeatherIey, whose own office is in Hemel's tower block, has designed a new computer suite which wraps itself round the west wing of the original building. Now in the final stages of construction, this £3.25-million development will provide air-conditioned surroundings for new Univac mainframe computers and the staff of the Computing and Communications Division who will operate them, and make much more efficient use of the space available.

"It is a three-storey exten­sion on a split level, which will have the main computer suite, an observation room which will let people sec the com­puters operating, and a recep­tion area at the lower level." Graham explained.

Built over the dried-up bed of the diverted River Gade, the new computer suite sits on piles driven I8-metres into the ground. Its floor has been leveled with a laser beam, and voids below the floor and above the ceiling will house the complex air-conditioning ducting and wiring system.

Big though this project is. it is just one of a series of updates which started almost as soon as the original building was completed nearly 20 years ago.

"There has been more or less continuous building work and upgrading," said Trevor Jones.

"The existing computer suite has been modernised twice, the restaurant and social areas have been upgraded, and we have recently filled in two balconies at the top of the tower block to create more office space."

Although the face of Hemel is changing fast, there are some who remember it from the early days:

Two such are Mike Hancock. Computer and Communications Manager, who was then Chief Pro­grammer. and Systems' Alan Fowler. who were both among the first 'arrivals' at what was then called Hempstead House.

"In those early days condi­tions were far from ideal," said Alan. "Although the out­side shell of the building was completed the inside certainly wasn't and it was rather like working in the middle of a building site!"

Ray Power and Trevor Jones with a map showing the old Hemel railway line. 

Sue Bisgrove and Julie Small in a 10th floor office which looks far from complete. 

The same office two weeks later. Janet Small with Trevor Jones and Ray Power. 

Taken from BP Oil News - October 1982

Mailing and Despatch in 1980

Mailing and Despatch

Taken from "Computers are a people business" BP Oil Computer and Accounting Centre published in 1980

Training - Introductory Course - 1980

New entrants on their introductory training

The trainer is Ken Miller, being assisted by Bill Garner, operating the terminal which then linked to the monitor at the front.

All high tech stuff in 1980. Training room was on 13th floor of BP House, Hemel Hempstead.

Being trained - it looks like Ian Harling (next to Ken Miller), then Clive Band, as for the rest?....

Taken from "Computers are a people business" BP Oil Computer and Accounting Centre published in 1980

1108 Computer Room in 1980

The computer room

People on this photo are believed to be Krystina Hutton (nee Samek), Andy Bolam, ?, Clive Pickering, Alan Winter, by the tapes Megan Jones and Barry Stone.

Taken from "Computers are a people business" BP Oil Computer and Accounting Centre published in 1980

Data Preparation in 1980

Data Preparation

Front row left - Chris Hutchinson

Second row standing red skirt and black top was Jean Jenkin's no.2 - what was her name?

I can recall the frequent trips through Data Prep on the 2nd floor pushing trolleys of work and tapes between the Univac 1108 and 1106 on the other side of Marlowes. Trips through this department could be quite interesting in the day time! However, at night in the dark they could be downright spooky - I had one experience of hearing voices in conversation in the dead of night with absolutely no one around.

A technical innovation was the installation of a paper tape reader in the centre of the Data Prep room which was linked through the floor to the Univac 1008 below.

Picture taken from "Computers are a people business" BP Oil Computer and Accounting Centre published in 1980

Christmas Carol Concerts

Cold Carol Comfort

Cold and snow couldn't deter over 100 people from attending a carol concert outside BP House Hemel Hempstead on Wednesday 20 December 1978.

Division manager Harry Cordwent brushing snow from his hands and music was the able accompanyist on an electric organ and Ron Cowie conducted the choir. After renderings of traditional carols the frozen crowd adjourned for mince pies and hot punch.

The event now has a firm place in Hemel's social calendar and this year managed to raise £30.

Taken from BP Oil News - January 1979

Childrens Christmas Parties

Party fun for Hemel youngsters

Children’s parties and the festive season go hand-­in-hand and the party held for children of BP Oil employees at Hemel Hempstead was no exception. More than 90 children gathered to enjoy a Punch and Judy show, cartoon films and games, organised by Bert Jordan with a willing team of helpers led by Jean Thomas.

Tables almost groaned under the enormous spread laid on for the children and after a distribution of presents by John Wyatt as Santa Claus, the children got even more gifts including fruit and sweets. This, as one helper put it, ensured the kids left the party feeling tired out, slightly sick and unable to carry all the goodies!

Taken from BP Oil News - January 1979

Photograph shows my two children at the December 1978 party. Sharon was age 8 and Mark just 4. Both have two children of their own  now !  Looking back it was an absolutly wonderful Christmas treat for the children and gave the Mum's and Dad's a few hours of child free shopping time in the town. I believe the events were part funded by the Sports and Social Club and BP Oil. Does this sort of event happen these days in any organisation? Probably not.